Introduction

Education plays a vital role in a country’s development and is the right of everyone without exception. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) stated that “Everyone has the right to education.” Therefore, education should be available for all. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) leads the global Education for Everyone (EFA) movement, which strives to promote the right to education for all (UNESCO, 1994). The goal of inclusive learning is to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The principles of inclusive education acknowledge that students have a wide range of personalities and characteristics. An inclusive educational system aims to reconstruct the school to meet the needs of every student for them to obtain complete social support.

The demand for inclusive education has increased since the 1989 world convention on child rights and the 1991 world conference on education in Bangkok. The meeting result was the declaration of “education for all.” This statement became known as the Bangkok Declaration, and its implications are binding on all-conference members so that all children, without exception, receive satisfactory educational services. As a follow-up to the Bangkok Declaration, in 1994, the Education Convention in Salamanca, Spain, recognized the need for inclusive education and released the Salamanca Statement on Inclusive Education, which stated: (1) all children should learn together, (2) educators are assigned

based on student needs, and (3) students with disabilities should be given appropriate services. In short, inclusive education emphasizes that all students should have equal access to the educational system and encourages their broad engagement (Katıtaş & Coşkun, 2020). The fulfillment of rights for students with disabilities requires well-prepared teachers to teach students with disabilities. Teacher training is critical to inclusive education (Agavelyan et al., 2020; Majoko, 2019; Moberg et al., 2020).

In many countries, an educational practice increasingly accommodates inclusive education. The inclusive school educates students with disabilities in general learning classrooms alongside peers without disabilities (Kart & Kart, 2021). Inclusive education poses a serious issue to education systems worldwide, both in developing and developed countries (Mfuthwana & Dreyer, 2018). In Ghana, students with disabilities face three major challenges: accessibility, adequacy, and affordability (Abodey et al., 2020). Students with disabilities are frequently overlooked by educational institutions, which contributes to the achievement gap between them and students without disabilities (De Los Santos et al., 2019). Developing countries face budget problems in supporting students with disabilities. By contrast, developed countries such as Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Norway allocate budgets for inclusive education (Hayes & Bulat, 2017).

In Indonesia, inclusive education has been developed since 2003 based on Law No. 20/2003. The law regulates special education for students with special physical, mental, emotional, and social needs as well as those who have extraordinary intelligence and potential talent. The law states that inclusive education can be held in public schools and selected education units (Article 5, Law No. 20/2003). The number of students with disabilities in Indonesia is increasing simultaneously and periodically (Ministry of Social, 2020). According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of students with disabilities is 4.2 million children (2005), 8.3 million (2007), and 9.9 million (2013). The majority of them have never attended school. According to Clause 5 of Law No. 20/2003, "every citizen has the same right to education, and citizens who have physical, emotional, intellectual, mental, or social disorders have the right to receive special education." As a result, the law ensures that they have the right to an education. Unfortunately, achieving this right for a disabled student remains difficult.

Law No. 20/2003 concerning the Indonesian National Education System requires that the state provides full guarantees to students with disabilities to obtain quality education services. This law shows that students with disabilities have the right to the same educational opportunities as other children. Specific regulation about the rights of students with disabilities is clearly stated in Law No. 8/2016: Regarding People With Disabilities. Law No. 8/2016 states that “a person with disabilities has the right to education” (Article 5). Educational rights for students with disabilities include the right to (1) receive a quality education in units of all types, lines, and levels in an inclusive and particular manner; (2) have equal opportunity to become an educator or educational staff member in academic units of all types, paths, and levels of education; (3) have equal opportunity as a provider of quality education in academic departments in all classes, ways, and levels of education; and (4) receive sufficient accommodation as students.

The Ministry of National Education has released Ministry Regulation No.70/2009 concerning inclusive education to support the educational rights of students with disabilities. Inclusive education provides opportunities for all students who have abnormalities, extraordinary intelligence, or potential talent to participate in education or learning in an educational environment among students in general. Inclusive education aims to (1) provide all students with physical, emotional, mental, and social abnormalities, intelligence potential, and unique talents with the broadest opportunity to obtain qualified education that meets their needs and abilities; and (2) realize education implementation that respects diversity and does not discriminate for all students. Students with impairments have the right to attend public schools and get an education. Inclusive public schools strive to eliminate discrimination (Kinsella, 2020; Kozibroda et al., 2020).

The Indonesian education system separates teacher education into general education and special education. Teachers for students with disabilities graduated from special education departments. Meanwhile, the number of special education departments is insufficient to provide enough teachers for students with disabilities. As a result, the Indonesian government assists students with disabilities through inclusive schools. However, there are not enough inclusive schools to serve all children, and public schools must progressively transform into inclusive schools capable of accepting students with disabilities. Ministry Regulation No. 70/2009 states that the local government must appoint at least one primary school and one junior high school in each sub-district and one secondary education unit to provide inclusive education that is required to accept students with disabilities. Unfortunately, the implementation of inclusive schools encountered problems such as lack of human resources, limited facilities, and non-acceptance of students with disabilities (Kirillova & Faizrakhmanova, 2016; Tarnoto, 2016).

Teachers have an essential role in educating and teaching students to keep their rights as human beings. Putting students in an inclusive environment does not guarantee positive outcomes for students with disabilities. Teachers are essential people for teaching students with disabilities in inclusive schools. Therefore, it is crucial to know the teachers’ viewpoints regarding inclusive education for students with disabilities. Our study will enrich the literature on teacher perspectives on teaching students with disabilities. The research question is: what are the perceptions of Indonesian teachers concerning students with disabilities in inclusive schools? The viewpoints of teachers on students with disabilities are part of the inclusive school’s research topic. Their perspectives will have an impact on the learning process and, as a result, on students' achievement. The purpose of this study was to look into teachers' perceptions of inclusive education for students with impairments. This research is critical for promoting the rights of disabled students as part of human rights concepts.

Literature review

Inclusive education is a growing research topic globally (Bourke, 2010; Vorapanya & Dunlap, 2014) and a crucial issue for education and school systems (Ackah-Jnr, 2018; Shaeffer, 2019). According to UNESCO (1994), education policies have emphasized the importance of developing a national capacity for policy-making and system management to support inclusive education and address equal educational opportunities and access for all children, including special education needs (NES). Data on student success, segregation, and funding revealed that poor and minority pupils have unequal educational prospects. The right to education raises several complicated considerations about its scope (Black, 2019). An inclusive school is one form of educational service and equitable education without discrimination, particularly for students with disabilities or special needs (Farrell, 2000; Rafferty & Griffin, 2005). Inclusive education is free from intolerance toward beliefs, attitudes, and customs (Katıtaş & Coşkun, 2020; Zelina, 2020). The students with disabilities can obtain the same knowledge and participate with other classmates in school life as integral members of the class (Thomazet, 2009).

Researchers have used history to defend constitutional rights to education throughout the last decade. The clearest hypothesis is provided by Friedman and Solow. They contend that the national commitment to education, which includes constitutional amendments to date, grows stronger with each generation (Friedman & Solow, 2013). In addition, social justice is a backdrop to protect and fulfill rights for students with disabilities (Shealy et al., 2012). Although there is a large amount of research on inclusive education policies (Bourke, 2010; Johnstone & Chapman, 2009; Kelly et al., 2014; Peters, 2007), little information is available about how these policies are put into practice from policy setting and institutional perspectives (Ahmmed & Mullick, 2014; Fong Poon-McBrayer & Wong, 2013; Forlin, 2010; Naicker, 2006).

The implementation of inclusive education policies continues to be challenging throughout the world because it underestimates many factors, including the context. For example, according to Naicker (2006), adopting an inclusive education policy in South African schools is difficult due to long-held views that have supported exclusion. He asserted that inclusive education policy in South Africa did not evolve in tandem with the pedagogical revolution (inclusive teaching and learning in the digital age) and remained "stuck at the political level because they ignored epistemological difficulties in educator training" (Naicker, 2006). The Naicker study highlights the differences among the inclusive policy plan, professional development, and education strategies at the school level.

Globally, challenges related to policy implementation, particularly those associated with the inclusion of students with disabilities, are evident in the literature (Engelbrecht et al., 2016; Hamdan et al., 2016; Mosia, 2014; Vorapanya & Dunlap, 2014). After examining many policy implementation studies, Werts and Brewer (2015) found that the objectives of education policies are usually not in line with teacher beliefs, motivations, and capacity. Heimans (2014) claimed that contextual factors are rarely considered in educational policy research. Prioritizing elements of the framework can help us understand how “policies are taken, various interpretations, translated and interpreted” (Heimans, 2012, 2014). According to Singh et al. (2014), context is an analytic construct that allows policymakers to understand how policies are translated and incorporated into school actions and practices. They argue that the idea of enforcement and shared context contributes to critical policy analysis literature, such as research and inclusive education policies.

The Southeast Asian region has a short history of inclusive education implementation and differs from developed countries’ more settled inclusive education systems (Hosshan et al., 2020). Ahmmed and Mullick (2014) discovered that inclusive education initiatives (IEs) face numerous challenges in Bangladesh. They thought that "contextual strategies are relevant to addressing these complications and [the successful implementation of] IE reform policies" is required. Struggles with implementation models are entwined with (1) the allocation of resources for inclusive education, (2) parental involvement in school activities and decision-making, and (3) the requirement for improved teacher development and school leader empowerment (Ahmmed & Mullick, 2014). As a result, translating policy into practice requires an active organization and serious collaborative work at the local level among all policy actors (Johnstone & Chapman, 2009). The collaboration method serves as a significant factor that promotes teachers’ professional development in inclusive classrooms and, in turn, achieves policy objectives such as successful learning experiences and guaranteed welfare for all students.

Method

Setting and participants

Our study used a qualitative content analysis method. A qualitative approach describes, explains, and explores teachers’ perspectives concerning inclusive education for students with disabilities and the challenges in teaching and learning. A qualitative approach is based on the data sources’ nature and characteristics to directly, descriptively, and naturally obtain data (Johnson & Christensen, 2013). The research setting was 32 inclusive schools in Surakarta City, including 16 elementary schools (ES), nine junior high schools (JHS), and seven senior high schools (SHS). The schools were intentionally selected for participation in the study because they were inclusive. Surakarta City was chosen because the Indonesian government has certified the city as a “Child-Friendly City” since 2017. “Child-Friendly City” means that the city has been recognized by the central government as a safe and comfortable city for the activities of students with disabilities.

We conducted our study during May–August 2018. For our qualitative research, we used purposive sampling to determine the selected informants according to our research needs (Maree & Pietersen, 2007; Merriam, 2009). Purposive sampling is a type of nonprobability sample. Purposive sampling is done by applying the researcher’s knowledge of the population when nonrandomly selecting a sample element that represents the population (Lavrakas, 2013). The school administrator shared information on the candidates' tenure, educational background, job description, and experience working with students with disabilities. The individuals were chosen by the researchers based on this information. Participants were 32 instructors who work with students with impairments in inclusive classrooms. We based the recruitment of participants on their experience in teaching students with disabilities for more than 5 years. Participants comprised teacher representatives at all grades in ES, JHS, and SHS. Participants had never received intensive training on teaching students with disabilities. Their ages ranged between 40 and 50 years, and there were 21 females and 11 males. The participants were volunteers, and there were no incentives for them. The researchers received written human subject approval from each participant.

Data collection

We gathered data through observation and in-depth interviews. The observation objects were the teaching and learning process for a student with disabilities, including interaction among students with disabilities and teachers. For 2 weeks, one researcher observed students in each ES, JHS, and SHS utilizing a checklist form. In natural science and social science subjects, they conducted observations. The interviews were performed using open-ended questions by the researcher. Interview transcripts were recorded using a digital recorder. There were 12 interview questions (see “Appendix”). Each interview session lasted 60 min. The researcher conducted the interviews in school from 14.00 to 15.00 outside of school time. Observations and interviews were conducted simultaneously. The researchers used data source triangulation to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. All data were cross-checked with other sources.

Data analysis

Data were analyzed by the four steps of the Interactive Model of Analysis (Miles & Huberman, 1994): data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusions (Fig. 1). Data reduction is the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and transforming data that appear in field notes or written transcriptions. Data display goes beyond data reduction to provide an organized and compressed collection of information that enables inference. Data can be directly presented or reduced through the process of data reduction. Reduced data or data submitted are the sources of the findings. This process repeats until there is data saturation. Data saturation is a sign of the end of the data collection process. Bernard (2012) has stated that the number of informants in qualitative research to achieve data saturation is what the researcher cannot calculate, but the researcher takes what they can get. Interviews and observation crosschecking among data sources were used to validate the data. Equality and access, competency and training, caring and empathy, and facilities and human resources were among the four themes created from the validated data. The data analysis was carried out by seven academics. The researchers were skilled in qualitative analysis and were members of legal and human rights study groups. To maintain confidentiality, the informants’ names were written using only their first names. The data's trustworthiness was guaranteed by data triangulation.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Components of data analysis: an interactive model (Miles & Huberman, 1994)

Full size image

Results

The data analysis resulted in four themes, including equality and access, competency and training, caring and empathy, and facilities and human resources.

Equality and access

Most participants (84.4%) recognized that inclusive education was concerned with providing justice and equal opportunities for all. They understood and were aware that students with disabilities are also entitled to quality educational services. According to teachers, the Indonesian Constitution protects the rights of students with disabilities and does not discriminate against pupils based on their circumstances. Every child has the right and chance to receive the same education regardless of their social circumstances. Observational data revealed that teachers did their best to ensure that students with impairments had equal access to learning. Some teachers reported the following:

  • “Education is a basic right. All children have the right to obtain an education, including students with disabilities” (AS, ES teacher, interviewed 08/05/2018).

  • “Education is a right for everyone. Students with disabilities also have the right to good education” (RT, JHS teacher, interviewed 10/05/2018).

  • “The right to education for students with disabilities is part of human rights guaranteed in our Constitution” (SR, SHS teacher, interviewed 14/05/2018).

  • “I attempt to give them similar opportunities by addressing them according to their difference” (MIR, ES teacher, interviewed 18/05/2018).

Competency and training

Since the provincial government launched a comprehensive school program, the schools have welcomed the proposal and legitimized it in inclusive schools. Many students with disabilities, such as autism, slow talk, hyperactivity, speech impairment, and hearing impairment, enrolled in inclusive schools. Inclusive educational techniques help students with disabilities feel more at ease in the classroom. Furthermore, inclusive education fosters a learning environment in which all students must work together in an age-appropriate regular educational classroom. Teachers, on the other hand, lacked the necessary skills to teach pupils with disabilities, necessitating specific training. Some teachers reported the following:

  • “My knowledge of teaching students with disabilities is limited. I want to get more intensive training. I once received training from a university. After that, there was no more” (TU, JHS teacher, interviewed 28/05/2018).

  • “We need the training to teach students with disabilities” (BG, ES teacher, interviewed 03/06/2018).

  • “We try to alternate various teaching and learning methods to increase students with disabilities activities” (RT, ES teacher, interviewed 08/06/2018).

The number of teachers who can teach students with disabilities is limited because the majority of teachers do not obtain adequate training Their understanding of infirmities is limited. University training is occasionally provided, although it is not common. Local governments also infrequently provide teacher training for disabled students. Local governments also rarely hold teacher training for students with disabilities. A school may have a special assistant teacher, but the teacher may be moved to another city. Therefore, students with disabilities are taught by ordinary teachers with limited skills in teaching students with disabilities.

  • “Our schools do not have special teachers for students with disabilities” (FH, ES Teacher, interviewed 03/08/2018).

  • “I once received teaching training for students with disabilities. After that, no longer” (SA, JHS Teacher, interviewed 13/08/2018).

Furthermore, planning and assessment become a severe challenge for teachers in inclusive schools. The teacher has difficulties arranging learning plans for students with disabilities. The learning plan must be distinct between regular students and students with disabilities, but the learning plan is made equal by the teacher. In short, the teacher uses only one general learning plan for all students.

  • “I have difficulty making learning plans for students with disabilities. This is because we do not have enough knowledge about planning learning for students with disabilities. So I only use [a] general learning planning for all students” (TN, ES teacher, interviewed 18/08/2018).

During the learning process, the teacher has not made modifications in the implementation of learning. A change in knowledge is urgently needed to support the learning process because it involves the media and learning methods adapted to the students’ ability. The teacher is also having trouble setting graduation standards for pupils with disabilities. Students with disabilities do not have their learning evaluated fairly. Students with disabilities are declared graduated based on empathy, not on achievement.

  • “I give equal treatment to normal students and students with disabilities, especially in the assessment” (YT, JHS teacher, interviewed 18/08/2018).

Furthermore, school evaluations regarding inclusive schools’ implementation processes have not been carried out routinely or systematically. As a result, schools are not concerned about meeting the needs and educational rights of special needs students. Therefore, we carried out our evaluation to determine in-depth whether there is a gap between expectations and the implementation of inclusive schools so that solutions can be found to overcome the problem.

  • “My school evaluates students with disabilities in the first year. If the student makes the learning disrupted, he will be excluded” (SJ, ES teacher, interviewed 18/08/2018).

Caring and empathy

When educating kids with impairments, several participants (62.5%) agreed that teachers must have a lot of patience. They make an effort to give kids equal learning opportunities. Observation data indicated that the teachers’ attention, awareness, and care help students with disabilities in learning and social comfort. Thus, teachers have a dual role as classroom teachers and assistants for students with disabilities. Some teachers reported the following:

  • “We put empathy with disabilities growth and their improvement as well as their requirements” (WS, SHS teacher, interviewed 18/06/2018).

  • “We attempt to accommodate students with disabilities to learn” (AS, ES teacher, interviewed 28/06/2018).

Based on the findings of the interviews, 90.6% of teachers believed that children with disabilities are unable to develop their abilities to their full potential, even though the teacher frequently provides special treatment, numerous learning techniques, and other attempts. To overcome this, a certain response and activity are required. For example, except for the evaluation of other typical students, the teacher completes the final assessment that is generalized to other students. The class teacher gives maximum value only to students with disabilities. The final grade does not reflect the actual ability of students.

  • “I give graduation to students with disabilities based on empathy. I know this is not true, but I do not have clear criteria for graduation for them” (DN, SHS teacher, interviewed 08/07/2018).

Furthermore, several participants (46.88%) said that the learning environment has an essential role in learning success. Ordinary students’ awareness to help students with disabilities needs to improve. Students with disabilities often get bullied by typical students. Some teachers reported the following:

  • “I was sad when normal students mocked students with disabilities. We all must try to increase student awareness that we must help students with disabilities. Peers support significantly helps students with disabilities” (FD, JHS teacher, interviewed 18/07/2018).

  • “We strive to create the right learning environment and a comfortable atmosphere for all students” (AP, JHS teacher, interviewed 28/07/2018).

Human resources and facilities

In contrast to a positive perspective, participants’ opinions also showed a cynical attitude that includes effortlessness. The majority of participants (93.75%) stated that services for students with disabilities are not optimal. A lack of resources and stakeholder readiness are commonly blamed for the lack of services. Students with impairments have limited access to facilities and infrastructure. Wheelchair access is not available at all-inclusive schools. For blind pupils, there are few options. In addition, there is no dedicated financing for inclusive schools. Special supervision is not available for inclusive schools. So, many teachers do not care about the status of inclusive schools.

Based on the researchers’ observations, there is a lack of facilities and human resources for implementing inclusive schools because there is no funding assistance from the government. As a result, schools have minimal facilities to support the rights of students with disabilities.

  • “We don't have special facilities for students with disabilities, such as wheelchair lanes and blind students because there are no special government funds for facilities for students with disabilities. Therefore, we may not charge facilities to parents of students” (SG, SHS teacher, interviewed 09/08/2018).

  • “Special assistant teachers for students with disabilities have been transferred to other schools. I have a dual role as a class teacher and assistant to students with disabilities. Students with disabilities often make disturbances in class. When there is interference, I have to take care of the student before continuing the learning process” (HD, ES teacher, interviewed 12/06/2018).

In the beginning, the inclusion program implementation received tremendous support from school stakeholders. The program was implemented in a variety of methods, including modernizing and socializing work, and its operations were supported by suitable infrastructure, resulting in a warm reception. However, the program stagnated during these modifications because it no longer had the practical support of many stakeholders. As a result, policymakers did not fully predict the phenomena that may occur in the future.

Discussion

Teachers’ perspectives about students with disabilities in inclusive schools reveal that inclusive education allows students to learn and receive equal educational rights. Our study participants mostly understood that students with disabilities have rights equal to those of the regular students. Inclusive education targets developing ideology concerning equality and social justice (Miles & Singal, 2010). Students with disabilities are entitled to attend regular classes. The teachers viewed education as something that should be done for everyone, regardless of their circumstances or differences. Teachers’ perspectives of equality followed the principles of inclusive education. Slee (2001) posited that a failure to consider the necessity for equality and equity in inclusive education for students with disabilities could be a contributing determinant against the realization of the right to education. The right to education is a legal concept in the sphere of human rights that everyone should be aware of. A person's attitude toward a problem is influenced by their common knowledge. Legal awareness, often known as public law education, is the empowering of individuals about legal issues (Zariski, n.d.). Legal awareness helps promote cultural awareness, participation in law formation, and the rule of law (Swain et al., 2008).

Legal consciousness influences a person’s attitude toward a problem. For example, the poor service to students with disabilities is caused by stakeholders’—the government, school residents, and community members—low legal consciousness. Legal consciousness is a sociolegal term that refers to legal awareness, traditional institutions, and attitudes toward them among society members. The term helps explain the importance of people bound by the law in their daily affairs. Legal consciousness can be seen as connected with popular culture that describes the direction, lawyers, and judges in the entertainment media (Podlas, 2006) and “nomos” ideas, or spheres of life that involve moral and legal behavioral norms and expectations (Cover, 1982). Legal consciousness is based on the country’s situation or region, reflecting the legal system and social existence.

Meanwhile, legal consciousness also affects the development of the legal position. Legal awareness is a system of rules, prohibitions, and permits learned through the subject of social relations. The nature of consciousness is not individual or merely conceptual. Legal consciousness is a social practice that reflects and shapes social structures (Ewick & Silbey, 1998). Legal consciousness research examines the various modes of involvement and interpretation which it operates, reproduces, or modifies the structure of disputed or hegemonic legal interpretations. Individuals' experiences and interpretations of the law depend on whether they involve, avoid, oppose, or just consider the direction and legal meaning.

There are several reasons for rejecting the enrollment of students with disabilities in schools. First, there is an opinion that students with disabilities are not in public schools but special schools. Therefore, in college, new students are directed to enter the special education department. Second, there are no accessible educational institutions, and there are no accompanying teachers for students with disabilities. Third, educational institutions assume that students with disabilities do not have enough capacity to succeed in public schools. This perception causes students with disabilities to be excluded from school because of the belief that they cannot follow the school’s teaching and learning standards and will fail the assessments. The refusal of a school or college to accept students with disabilities for these reasons violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Indonesian Human Rights Regulation, as well as the laws and basic principles of human rights.

In their study, Johnstone and Chapman (2009) argued that it is unacceptable to train a few teachers in individual schools about how to practice new inclusive policies and then assume that teachers who were not trained in other schools would abide by those practices. The availability of well-trained teachers for students with disabilities in Indonesia is still limited (Faragher et al., 2021). Generally, well-trained teachers for students with disabilities in Indonesia graduated from a department of special education in a university. Peters (2007) emphasized that inclusive education policies “are formed by people (actors) in the context of society, both locally, nationally, or globally.” For him, an inclusive approach’s practicality lies in changing students’ discourse in related policy documents that tend to be exclusive rather than inclusive (Peters, 2007). As an alternative, Bourke (2010) argued that the inclusive education policy model in Queensland is being introduced into the school system without significant attention to how the school context affects teachers and students. Although many initiatives toward inclusive education have been offered, schools’ structure and strategies continue to reflect exclusive practices. As a result, teachers continue to feel confused and frustrated about inclusion terms (Bourke, 2010). That is, the difference between policymaking and policy remains. Young and Lewis (2015) observed Finnish schools. These schools were given "sufficient autonomy to regulate special education by local values, depending on a culture of trust," according to the researchers. To put it another way, the Finnish education system appears to provide local schools with the ability to comprehend and translate new policies in light of their organizational context. By looking at the Finnish system, critical readers can argue that changing complex, inclusive education policies into practice is not a top-down process but is based on information in context.

Teacher training is important to improve teacher competence (Fernández-Batanero et al., 2020; Mohamadi Zenouzagh, 2019). The Indonesian education system provides education for students with disabilities in special schools. Special school teachers are graduates of special departments in universities. Teachers in public schools are not equipped with special knowledge and skills to teach students with disabilities. The existence of inclusive schools is a challenge for teachers in public schools to teach students with disabilities. They require special training to teach these students. Multicomponent training (MCT) is beneficial for training teachers of students with disabilities, including teaching demonstrations, mentoring, and role-playing (Brown et al., 2014).

Building caring for students with disabilities must begin with building caring awareness. Developing caring teacher-student relationships is vital to improved outcomes for students with disabilities (Mihalas et al., 2009). Generally, barriers faced by students with disabilities include an unfriendly physical environment and limited support services (Abodey et al., 2020). According to the findings, the interaction between teachers and students has an impact on student achievement. The teacher's level of care is determined by his or her ideas about the work's meaning (Lavy & Naama-Ghanayim, 2020). The teacher’s care is positively correlated with students’ interest in the learning (Teven, 2007). Therefore, teachers must have a deep concern for students with disabilities.

Inclusive education in Indonesia still lacks facilities and human resources. The implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia has faced problems and obstacles since it was launched in 2002 (Rasmitadila & Goldstein, 2017). Some of the issues are inadequate infrastructure and funding, misunderstandings by teachers about procedures and services needed for students with disabilities, and a small number of teaching assistants (Sunardi & Sunaryo, 2011). In Indonesia, inclusive education is still not fully implemented because there are no specific implementation criteria. Another obstacle is that teachers are less prepared to work with students with disabilities.

Teacher education plays a vital role in preparing well-trained teachers for teaching students with disabilities. An inclusive education curriculum should be adopted by all teacher education faculty. Relying upon special education preservice teachers is not enough to provide educational equity for students with disabilities. General education preservice teachers should be prepared to teach students with disabilities. Some teaching education faculties in Indonesia have provided inclusive education courses. But the courses are organized in only a conceptual or theoretical approach. Before completing the study, general preservice teachers need to take apprenticeship programs in inclusive schools that have students with disabilities.

Conclusion

Normatively, the Indonesian government has recognized and adopted the rights of students with disabilities. However, inclusive schools in Indonesia have not run well because of constraints. The main obstacles are the lack of facilities and well-trained teachers for students with disabilities. The existing supply of well-trained educators is insufficient. Teachers who do not specialize in special education are likewise unqualified to work with pupils with disabilities. The majority of participants agree that all students, including those with disabilities, should have equal access to education. Teachers' capacity to work with pupils with disabilities must be improved. Training is needed to improve the teacher competencies. A student with disabilities needs caring and empathy from a teacher. Facilities should be improved, and the number of well-trained teachers for students with disabilities should be increased. Additionally, the legal consciousness of stakeholders regarding education rights for students with disabilities needs to be raised. Future studies on teacher training for students with disabilities will be important to promote the principles of education for all.